‘Lied to’: 24yo reveals tax return shock after lodging on July 1

A young Aussie has revealed she’s unhappy with her tax return because she feels “lied too”, with her rant dividing opinion online.

The season of tax returns has begun, but for every cashed-up Aussie rushing out to buy a new television, there are those left disappointed.

Nat Zelez doesn’t just feel let down by her tax return. She feels “lied” to.

Ms Zelez, 24, has amassed over 100,000 views on TikTok by revealing that she’s “not happy” with her tax return for the financial period between June 2023 and June 2024.

“So I got my tax return, and I’m not happy. I lodged it on July 1st, and I was so excited, like, oh my god, because it said I was going to get $5300 back, but I got it this morning, and I got $3000,” she shared.

Nat said her feelings were hurt by her tax return. Picture: TikTok//nat.zelez

People in the comments were divided. Picture: TikTok//nat.zelez

Ms Zelez, who works in hospitality and marketing and was also on Centrelink at some point during the financial year, said she knew $3000 was “still good”, but she’d already adjusted to the idea that she would get over $5000 back.

“I still feel like I lost $2300. That is what it feels like. I know I didn’t, but what the hell? Don’t do it on July 1st because you’re just going to get your feelings hurt.”

People online weren’t entirely sympathetic to Ms Zelez’s rant, with people quickly reminding her that when you initially file a tax return, it is just an estimate.

“It’s always an estimate, never expect to get the full return,” one wrote, but Ms Zelez replied and said she would understand a difference of a few hundred dollars, but she was shocked by the “huge amount” she didn’t get back.

“So many people complaining that’s they are getting money back! Lots of people owe money,” another wrote.

“You realise you shouldn’t expect money back each time at all? You only get a refund if you’ve overpaid tax,” someone else said.

One person chimed in and said that Ms Zelez’s return was drastically different from the estimate because the ATO probably didn’t have all the information on July 1st because her “employer probably hadn’t finalised your summary”.

Ms Zelez agreed and said this is why she’d never lodge on July 1st again, no matter how excited she was about her potential return.

The young Aussie told news.com.au she was surprised by the disparity between the estimate and her return because she’d never experienced it before.

“I have never had a problem doing it early before and have always gotten back the estimate,” she said.

The clip amassed over 100,000 views. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

She wasn't happy with her tax return. Picture: Instagram/nat.zelez

Ms Zelez said the disappointment stemmed from having already decided how she would spend the $5000.

“I’m planning a trip to Southeast Asia, so the extra $2300 would have helped,” she said.

She also thinks there isn’t enough education about how tax works in Australia, making it hard to navigate as a young person.

“We never got taught it in school, and I’ve heard that some people think it’s the government giving back your tax to ‘be nice’ when in reality it’s just the surplus of tax you paid,” she said.

According to comparison website Finder, Ms Zelez isn’t alone in her desire to get a fat tax return. A recent survey found that 25 per cent of Aussies said their tax return is very important to their financial health, and the average Aussie is expecting a $1288 refund.

Money expert Sarah Megginson said filing your tax return early is fine, but employers have until July 14th to finalise your details.

“If you try to do your tax return before this, you might run into trouble as your details are not yet set in stone with the ATO. After this date, however, you’re all set,” she said.

“You should do your tax return as soon as you’re ready. If you are confident you’re going to get a tax return, it makes sense to lodge it sooner than later so you can get your hands on that money.”